Beet gathering and bunching machine



9 1935. J. L. F. BAUER ET AL BEET GATHERING AND BUNCHING MACHINE Filed April 16, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 @Eufiy 1935. J. L.F. BAUER El AL gfifigyzig BEET GATHERING AND BUNCHINCT MACHINE Filed April 16, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q N jnvew/ Z0715 Patented July 23, 1935 g U 2,009,248 I f r i ,nsn'r GATHERING: AND BUNCHING -MACHINE a v John L. F. Bauer, Fisher,- and Albert L. Kiel and Orlando A. Holkesvig, Crookston, Minn. Application April is, 1934; Serial N 72,41,782

S Claims. (o1.' 55 10s=) Our invention relates to beet lifters orpullers Fig.3 is a cross-sectional view'takenxalong the and particularly to mechanism for; picking up, line -e5;oi 4 as indicated by the arrows; conveying and bunching beets as they are dug Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view from the soil by the puller blades of the puller. "of the'cross conveyor of our mechanism;

55 Beet pullers now available are designed only to a Fig, '7 is :a transvers sectional Vi w a o g '5 loosen beets with respect to the soil and to raise the line 0 F g- 6 as indicated by the arrow the beetsto the surface of the soil. 'Sucha beet ig. :8 is a vertical sectional view of another puller leaves a row of unearthed beets strewn .form of 011 inven i behind it and it is necessary for men picking up F 9 isa side V ew ofportions of a-beet har- 3m beets so strewn to proceed along such a row pickve v g incorporated therein still h '10 .ing beets up individually. No mechanism has for-m Of 0111' invention; heretofore been provided for picking up a d. Fig. 10 is a top viewof (the structure shown in 'bunching the-beets as they are pulled and at g. iv 7' 1 intervals discharging an accumulated number of 11 is a p View Of the longitudinal c n- 15 beetsin a, heap upon th ground I veyor-with guide plates of another and preferred 5 An object of our invention is to provide mechaform, d x i nism in a beet puller for picking up beets as 'they g. 2 is-across-sectional view takena o the are pulled, conveying said beets to a suitable par-t 2 of g l as indicated y the ar OWS. of the. puller, temporarily storing beets which Referring to the draVlFi-ngs, 0 be p and have been pulled and periodically discharging the u ching a i ni m u On d E "b t m l t ates with a conventional ibeet puller or harvester Another object is to provide such mechanism i n -a framei t w ls front W l wherein the tops f beets are gripped by a Suit. yokes- 11, main wheels l8, main axle l9, puller able conveying means as the beets are loosened blades 1 puller hlade'shpports or lifting r 2|, from the soil and the beets are subsequently condraft p p at0rS seat 23 and seat support veyed-by id conveying means by their tops to '24 assembled :ina welLknown conventional man- .suitable bunching and discharging means. I aS-ShOW-II in the drawings,

Yet another object is to provide such mecha- The d a -D m of maiIlsXle I9 is Offnism including elements for raising the tops of Sgt fromithe 0111161 Wheehcsrrying portions there- 39 beets prior to and to facilitate gripping of the ih diQmnaled in sui a hearings .30 t by th c'onveying means I ecu-red to the frame 15 toprovide for rotation of A further and more specific object is to provide the'lnain 3X16 through a limited angle relative such a mechanism in which a pair of closely 51 ai mv rhiserahd lower the frame belts driven m a wheel a beet puller with respect to the main wheels 18 vand the ground cooperate to grip the top of a beet therebetween Over m h main Wheels 5 travel- A lever 35 and tocarry a beet by its top from one portion to .1 provided with a elea'sable W 2 engaging another of thepuner j anarcuate rack 25b mounted on; the frame 45, is A still further object is to provide such a mecliconnected h a l elements to the a lanism of simple, rugged, effective and inexpensive 3X18 for use ill/adjusting position t 40 construction. es-l ende s i e i-q h fl l5above 40 These and other objects and advantages of'the il e wid sp connected between 6 invention will be more fully set forth in the folmehts attached to the frame and bl lowing description made in connection with the .n -s o t a le er m oy d to facilitate accompanying drawings, in which like reference lease If-Operation dl n i 3X16 15 characters refer to similar parts throughout the -Th two puller-blade lifting arms r formedeveral Views, and in whjch; integrally and include a horizontally disposed Fig: 1 is a side view of a beet puller having one ed p r n'iou d in a h ow member I5a fdrrn of our'beet gathering and bunching mecha; at rear Of frame permit adjustment nism incorporated thereon; .oi the position of the puller blade lifting arms 2! 5o Fig. 2 is a top view; and the puller blades 20 carried thereby. Suit- 3 is a vertical sectional View taken along able releasablemeans.is provided for lockingthe the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrows; lifting arms in an adjustedpos'itioi I Fig. 4 is a top view of the'longitudinal conveyor 1 I The above described structure is of convention- 'ofrour mechanism with, a portion thereof realiform and a structure embodyingou'r invention 'moved; i

is on tructedas follows; 55

hopper for receiving beets fromthe transverse conveyor arranged for periodic emptying of its contents onto the ground beside the harvester.

The longitudinal conveyor includes a pair or endless belts 21 each carried by and running over a pulley 28 at its forward end and carried by and running over a pulley 29 at its rearward end. The pulleys 28 and 29 are respectively mounted on short shafts 28a and 29a all of which are disposed parallel to each other. The pulleys 28 and 29 are so relatively located that one run of one of the belts Z'land one run of the other belt are closely adjacent each other and are respectively disposed in substantially parallel vertical planes.

Thepulley 28 and pulley 29 associated with each of the belts 21 is located between a pair of parallel elongated plates 30 and'each of the shafts 28a and 29a is journaled at its end portions in apertured portions of the respective plates 3|] of the corresponding pair thereof. The shafts 280 are each provided at each end thereof with a belttightening -means comprisingan 1 adjustment screw 3| running in a screw threaded aperture in an element 32 extending outwardly from the plate 99 and bearing against the inner side of the shaft A series of'smooth guide plates or pressure plates 33 having outwardly curved ends are arranged to bear against the inner sideof each of the adjacent runs of the respective belts 21 to press the adjacent runs of the respective belts into contact with each other. A series of bell-cranks 34 are mounted in the space between the respective plates 30 of each pair thereof on pins 34a which are each journaled at'respective ends'in suitable apertures in the respective plates 30. One arm of each of the bell cranks 34 is pivotally connected to a lug 33a. on the rear of one of the guide plates 33. The remaining arm of each of the bell cranks is formed into a-curved element which engages the inner side'of the run of the belt 2'! opposite the run engaged bythe guide plates 33. A tension spring is connected at one of its ends to the last mentioned arm of each of the bell cranks 34 and at its remaining end to a pin 35a which is anchored in apertures in'the plates 39 so as to, urge the bell crank 34 in a direction whereby it will press the guide plate 33 against the belt 21. The guide plate 33 at each end of each series thereof carries a revolubly mounted roller 3312 at its end edge to facilitate free movement of the belts 21 as they enter and leave the space between the two parallel series of guide plates 33. v

The shafts 29a are each provided at their upper end with a bevel gear 36 located above the uppermost one of the plates 33 and a suitably 'journaled shaft 3'! carries a pair of bevel gears 38 thereon respectively engaged with the bevel gears'35. The gears 38 and 38 are so arranged that the two belts 21 will be driven at a common speed and in opposite directions whereby the adthe plates 43 and 44.

and rearwardly with the end containing the pulleys 28 disposed forwardmost and a short distance above the forward ends of the puller blades 29. The longitudinal conveyor is firmly held in place by the brackets 48 and 49, to which the plates 30 thereof are respectively connected at the forward and medial portions of the conveyor. Each of the brackets 48 and 49 is attached to its respective side of the frame l5 by means of bolts 48a and 49a passing through suitable apertures in the frame l5 and vertically extending slots 48b and 49b in the medial and uppermost portions of the respective brackets whereby the brackets 48 and 49 and all parts supported therefrom may be adjusted in height when the bolts 48a and 49a are loosened.

v A pair of forwardly diverging beet leaf or top lifting plates 39 are respectively secured at their rear ends to the forward end of the longitudinal conveyor described above and extend forwardly and downwardly therefrom. The forwardmost end of each of the lifting plates 39 is disposed substantially in a horizontal plane and each plate 39 is so twisted in shape, as is shown in the drawings, that the rearmost portion thereof is disposed substantially in a vertical plane.

A U-shaped beet tilting element 40 is secured by the flanged upper ends of its side members to the lower sides of the respective lower plates 30 of the longitudinal conveyor a short distance forwardly of the rear end of the longitudinal conveyor. The beet tilting element 49 is formed of a plate or flat strip of suitable material bent into the shape shown'to provide a passageway between the side members thereof.

A second conveyor working transversely of the puller is located at the rear thereof to receive and convey beets dropped from the rear end of the longitudinal conveyor. This transverse conveyor includes a pair of shafts 4| and 42 disposed parallel to each other, respectively extending rearwardly and slightly toward the left from the rear end of the puller and respectively situated slightly outwardly of lines produced rearwardly from the respective side members of the frame |5 of the puller. Shaft 4| is located a substantial distance below the level of the frame |5 and is spaced only a moderate distance above the ground upon which the puller runs and shaft 42 is located only a short distance below the level of the frame I5.

Corresponding ends of the shafts 4| and 42 are journaled in an elongated plate 43 and the remaining end of each of the shafts 4| and 42 is journaled in a second similar plate 44. The

plates 43 and 44 are parallel to each other, are

disposed in vertical planes and form side enclosure plates for the transverse conveyor.

A pair of sprockets 45 are mounted on each of the shafts 4| and 42 in locations thereon adjacent the respective ends thereof and just inwardly of A continuous sprocket chain46 extends between and runs over each aligned pair of sprockets 45 respectively located on the shafts 4| and 42 and a wide continuous belt 41 of flexible material extending in width 'puller, carry vertical members 50 secured to and extending upwardly from suitable portions there- 'of and the vertical members 50 are attached to the outer sides of the plates 43 and 44 to support hand main wheel the sameand the remaining parts'of verse conveyor.

A hopper 5| is supported by brackets 52 and '53 attached to the conveyor supporting bracket 49 in position outwardly of the right hand side of the puller and suitably situated to receive material discharged from the right hand end of the transverse conveyor belt 47 through its open top. The-floor 5|a of the hopper 5| slopes slightly downwardly toward its outer edge. The outer side of the hopper 5| is swingably mounted at the upper edge thereof to form a discharge gate 5|b whereby outward swinging thereof will permit emptying of material from' the hopper 5|. By means of abolt 540, a double armed lever 54 is pivotally mounted at its medial portion on a member 54b attached to the frame |5 of the puller. The upper end of the lever 54 is suitably located-to permit convenient operation thereof by an occupant of the seat 23 and the lower end is the transpivotally connected to one end of a link 54d. The remaining end of the link 54d is pivotally connected to the gate 5|b. A releasable pawl 54a on the lever 54 engageable with a notch in the member 541) provides means for locking the lever 54 in such a position that the discharge gate 5 |b is closed.

The longitudinal and transverse conveyors previously described are both driven from the left main wheel I 8 of the puller through a suitable system of sprockets, sprocket chains andgears arranged as follows:

A sprocket 55 mounted on the hub of the right I8 is connected through a sprocket chain 56 to a sprocket 5! mounted on a countershaft 58 which is journaled in suitable brackets 59and 60 attached to the frame |5 of the'puller. A second sprocket 6| mounted on the countershaft 58 is connected through a second sprocket chain 62 to a sprocket 63' mounted on a second countershaft 64 which is journaled in suitable brackets 65 and 48 both of which are rigidly connected to the frame I 5. A second sprocket 61 on the shaft 64 is connected through a sprocket 'chain 68 to a sprocket 69 mounted on the shaft 31 which drives the longitudinal'conveyor.

A third sprocket l0 mounted on the shaft 64 is connected through a'sprocket chain II to a sprocket 12 on a third countershaft 13 journaled in brackets 14 and 48 both of which are rigidly connected with the frame I5: A bevel gear 15 mounted on the shaft 13 is engaged with another bevel gear 16- which is mounted on the shaft 4| of the transverse conveyor.

The above described system of sprockets, chains and gears is so arranged that, when the'wheel I8 is rotated in the direction corresponding to forward movement, of the puller, the upper runof the transverse conveyor belt 41 will move toward the right side of the pullerto deliver material into the hopper 5| and the closely adjacent runs of the belts 21 of the longitudinal conveyor will move upwardly and rearwardly to delivermaterial onto the transverse conveyor belt 41,

Operation In normal operation a beet puller of the type shown is drawn by means of the draft pole 22 along a row of beets in straddling relation to the row. The puller blades 20 loosen the earth about the beets and force the loosened earth and beets upwardly whereafter the beets lie exposed upon the ground in a continuous row and are later picked up by hand. e

With. our mechanism included in. the beet puller, the operation of the puller is altered and improved as follows:

Before the puller blades 20 act upon a beet, the forward ends of the leaf or top lifting plates 39 are thrust under the spreading or drooping leaves of the beet B by movement of the puller andas this movement is continued the rearward portionsof the lifting plates 39 deflect the leaves into substantially upwardly extending position. As the puller blades 20 start to act upon the beet B the upstanding group of leaves or top of the beet is caughtbetween the convergentlymoving portions of the belts 21 of the longitudinal conveyor and become gripped between the belts 21 as the beet is-freedfrom the soil by the action of the'puller blades 20. I

The beet B is carried rearwardly and upwardly by its top which is gripped between the rearwardly and upwardly moving runs of the belts 21; The guide plates 33 urged toward'the closely spaced beet top gripping runs of the belts 21 by the springs 35, act to cause the belts 21 to tightly and firmly grip the beet tops throughout the movement of the beet tops from one end to the other of the conveyor. When cooperating pairs of guide plates 33 are forced farther apart than normal against the tension of the springs 35 by beet tops disposed between the belts 21, the curved ends of the bell cranks 34 opposite the ends attached to the guide plates 33 force the outer or returning runs of the belts 21 outwardly to absorb any slack therein and hence at all times maintain thebelts in tightly stretched condition. As,the beet B approaches the upper and rear end of the longitudinal conveyor it strikes the substantially horizontal beet tilting element which retards the movement of the beet with respect to the top or leaves of the beet and thus tilts the beet. As the top of the beet reaches the portion of the longitudinal conveyor where the beet carrying runs of the belts 21 move divergently the beet topis released and the beet in its tilted position drops to the belt 41 of the transverse conveyor to lie on its side thereon,

The transverse conveyor carries beets received thereon toward the right hand side of the puller and, as the beets carried thereon reach the right hand end of the transverse conveyor, they will drop from the conveyor into the hopper 5|.

When a desired number of beets have been accumulated in the hopper 5| the operator of the puller may move the lever 54 to open the discharge gate 5|b of the hopper to permit discharge of the contents of the hopper onto the ground beside the puller. The result will be that, when the beets of a row thereof have been'harvested, the beets harvested will have been de-' posited upon the ground ina series of widely spaced relatively large heaps and are ready to have their tops removed, after which they may be readily and economically loaded into a wagon or other conveyance for transportation to any within the limits imposed by the length of the slats 48band 49b of the brackets 48 and 49.

The-form of our invention shown in part in Fig. 8 is identical with the form described above with the exceptions that the hopper 5| is omitted and the. mechanical transmission syistemfor driving the transverse conveyor belt 41 is slightly rearranged to include a clutchunit. .11 having an operating rod 18 by means of which the clutch 1'! may be engaged or disengaged at the will of the operator of the puller. 7 -'The mechanical transmission system differs from that of the first described form only in the following details; a shaft 19 having a split therein, and having the two portions thereof connected together by the clutch H is substituted for the shaft 64 of the first form. The :shaft 31 of the first form is'replaced by a longer shaft and the sprocket 69 is mounted on the end thereof as shown. The sprocket chain 68 engaged with the sprocket 69 is engaged with the sprocket 10. The shaft 13 and the sprocket 12 are replaced by a longer shaft 8| with a sprocket 82 mounted .on the inner end thereof. A sprocketchain 83 connects the sprockets 61 and 82.

In operation of this form of our invention the transverse conveyor is normally stationary while all other parts of the harvester are in motion. Beets delivered from the longitudinal conveyor belts 21 to the transverse conveyor belt 4'! are accumulated upon the beltfii until the desired number of beets have been accumulated. The clutch operating element 18 is then operated to engage the clutch l1 so that the transverse conveyor belt 41 will be driven to discharge the accumulated beets therefrom onto the ground beside the puller. When the accumulated beets have been discharged the clutch I1 is disengaged to stop movement of the transverse conveyor belt 41 in order to permit the accumulation of another load of beets on the belt 41.

The form of our invention illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 of the drawings is similar to the first described form except that the transverse conv-eyor is omitted and the longitudinal conveyor is replaced by a conveyor of similar construction but so curved in form so that beets dropped from the discharge end thereof may fall directly into the hopper.

The differences in construction between this form and the first described form are as follows: The plates 39 of the longitudinal conveyor of the form first described are replaced in the conveyor of this form by plates 84 which are curved in shape as shown in Fig. 10. The belts 85 are longer than the belts 2'! of the first form and a larger number of guide plates 33 are accordingly used. Other than explained above the conveyor is constructed in a manner similar to the longitudinal conveyor of the first form.

The hopper 86 is similar to the hopper 5| of the first form described but is so positioned that the discharge gate 861) opens rearwardly of the puller. The control lever 54 is rearranged in position to permit connection thereof with the discharge gate 85b through the link 5441 in the same manner as that of the first described form.

Suitable brackets 81 and 88 are provided to support the hopper 86 and the conveyor. The brackets 81 and 88 are connected to the frame l5 for vertical adjustment with respect thereto in the same manner as the brackets 48 and. 49 of the first described form.

Mechanical transmission means is provided to drive the conveyor from the right hand main wheel [8 of the puller. A sprocket 89 mounted on the hub of the wheel 18 is connected through a sprocket chain 99 to a second .sprocket 9| mounted on a countershaft 92 journaled in a suitable bracket 93 attached to the frame [5. A third sprocket is connected through a sprocket chain 85jto a fourth sprocket 96 mounted on a shaft 91 located adjacent the delivery end of the conveyor and journaled in a suitable bracket 98 connected through the bracket 88 to the frame IS.

A bevel gear '99, mounted on the shaft 91 is meshed-with a bevel gear mounted on the nearest of the conveyor drive shafts 29a. The two conveyor drive shafts 29a are connected together bymeans of a spur gear lUl mounted on each of the shafts 29a and apair of idler gears I02 respectively meshed with the spur gears IN and meshed together. The shafts 29a are respectively journaled in suitable apertures in a bar Hi3 which is suitably-supported-from the plates 84. v The idler gears I82 are revolubly mounted on respective ones of 'a pair of stub shafts I04 rigidly mounted on the bar I03.

The operation of the last described form of our invention is obvious in view of the previously described operation of the first and second embodiments of the invention.

Figs. ll'and 12 illustrate another and preferred-form of guide plate 33 wherein flanges 330 are provided extending rearwardly from the plate 33 respectively at its upper and lowerlongitudinal edges. The flanges 330 are of sufficient width to extend to points between the plates 30 and are so spaced apart as to respectively loosely engage portions of the inner sides of the plates 39. The flanges 330 function to maintain the-guide plate 33 in such an aligned position that its longitudinal edges will heparallel to the edges of the belts 2'1.

It is apparent that we have invented a novel,

effective, rugged and easily operated beet picking and bunching-mechanism adapted for cooperation with a beet puller and capable of picking up beets as they are unearthed by the puller, conveying the unearthed beets to a remote portion of the puller, temporarily storing the beets until a suitable quantitythereof is accumulated and thendischarging the accumulated beets.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes maybe made in the form, details, proportions and arrangement of the parts, without departing from the scope of our invention, which generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth and in the vnovel parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: a

1; Means for conveying and delivering beets or the like comprising two groups of pulleys, a continuous belt carried by and running over each of said groups of pulleys, the respective groups of pulleys being so located relative to each other that one run of onebelt and one runof the other belt are disposed closely adjacent and parallel to each other, means for so driving said belts that said adjacent runs will travel in; a common direction at a common speed, whereby the top of a beet introduced between said adjacent runs .at the convergently moving end thereof will be gripped between said-runs and carried thereby to the divergently moving end thereof whereat said top will be released, transverse material conveying means situated to receive beets dropped from said adjacent belt runs and material receiving means situated to receive material from said transverse material conveying means.

2. Means for conveying and bunching vegetables having leafy tops comprising a pair of endless conveyors having substantially parallel closely spaced opposing runsjmeans for driving said conveyors in such mannertha-t said opposing runs move in the same direction and at substantially the same speeds whereby the top of a vegetable introduced between said runs at the end thereof where said runs move convergently will be carried by said runs to the other end thereof and there be released, a third conveyor having a run adapted and located to receive the released vegetables, said third conveyor normally being stationary to accumulate released vegetables thereon and means for periodically driving said third conveyor to discharge accumulated vegetables therefrom.

3. Means for conveying, and delivering beets or the like comprising two groups of pulleys, a continuous belt carried by and running over each group of pulleys, the respective groups being so located relative to each other that a pair of runs respectively of each of said belts are disposed closely adjacent and parallel to each other, means for driving said adjacent runs in a common direction at a common speed whereby the top of a beet introduced between said adjacent runs at their convergently moving end will be gripped therebetween, carried to the divergently moving end thereof and released, a normally stationary material conveyor having a run situated to receive beets so carried and released'and means for periodically driving said conveyor to discharge from the end thereof beets accumulated thereon.

4. In combination with a beet puller consisting of a vehicle carrying blades for digging beets from the soil, means for picking up and delivering said beets comprising two groups of pulleys and belt guides, a continuous belt carried by and running over each group of pulleys and guides, said groups being so disposed relative to each other and each group being so arranged that one run of one belt and one run of the other belt are disposed closely adjacent and parallel to each other and extend longitudinally of said vehicle from a point substantially above said blades toward the rear of said vehicle and then extend transversely of said vehicle to a point adjacent one side thereof and means for driving both of said adjacent runs toward the rear and said side of said vehicle at a common speed whereby the top of a beet being freed from the soil by said blades will be received and gripped between forward ends of saidadjacent runs and said runs will carry said beet by its top rear- Wardly of and then to said side of said vehicle to release and drop said beet at said side of said vehicle.

5. Means for conveying roots having leafy tops comprising a pair of endless conveyors having substantially parallel closely spaced opposing runs, means for driving said conveyors in such manner that said opposing runs move in the same direction and at substantially the same speeds whereby the top of a root introduced between said runs at the end thereof where said runs move convergently will be carried by said runs to the other end thereof with the root depending below its top and there be released,

and horizontal tilting means disposed in the path of said depending root as it is moved by said conveyors whereby the movement of said root will be retarded with respect to the movement of the top thereof and said root, when released, will fall upon its side.

6. Means for conveying roots having leafy tops comprising a pair of endless conveyors having substantially parallel closely spaced opposing runs, means for driving said conveyors in such manner that said opposing runs move in the same direction and at substantially the same speeds whereby the top of a root introduced between said runs at the end thereof where said runs move convergently will be carried by said runs to the other end thereof with the root depending below its top and there be released to drop from said conveyors, receiving, means positioned to receive a dropped root and horizontal tilting means disposed in the path of said depending root as it is moved by said conveyors whereby the movement of said root will be retarded relative to the movement of its top whereby said root will be disposed upon its side in a certain position when received by said receiving means.

7. Means for conveying vegetables having leafy tops, comprising a pair of endless conveyors having substantially parallel closely spaced opposing runs, means for driving said conveyors in such manner that said opposing runs move in a common direction at substantially like speeds and guide means carried by one arm of a bellcrank and urged against the inner side of the medial portion of each of said opposing runs to urge said runs toward each other whereby the top of a vegetable introduced between said opposing runs at the convergently moving ends thereof will be gripped between said runs and carried thereby to the other end thereof and there be released and the outer end portion of the remaining arm of said bellcrank engaging the inner side of the remaining run of the corresponding belt whereby said belts will be maintainedin tightly stretched condition.

8. Means for conveying vegetables having leafy tops, comprising a pair of endless conveyors having substantially parallel closely spaced opposing runs, means for driving said conveyors in such manner that said opposing runs move in a common direction at substantially like speeds, guide means engaging and urged against the inner side of the medial portion of each of said opposing 

